How many?
by AppleJTZ
Summary: As the gang discusses what to do after school, Stella finds out an interesting fact about Lincoln.


Not long after the bell had rang kids of all age were roaming the schoolyard. Among them was a group of six kids – one white-haired boy, one boy with curly hair and glasses, three red-haired boys of varying size, and a dark-haired girl. Leaving the school property, they headed for downtown.

"So, you guys down for some pizza?" Rusty asked, licking his lips.

Liam shook his head. "Sorry, but I'm still stuffed from lunch." Rubbing his belly with one hand he used his other one to cover his mouth as he let out a belch. "That ham-cheese-tomato-cucumber-sandwich with mustard and extra-thick wheat bread sure hit the spot."

"How about we go to the arcade?" Zach suggested. "I've heard they got this brand-new virtual reality game of Starship Groupers. It's like you are standing on the bridge!"

While the boys all seemed excited, Stella scratched her head. "I never got that show to be honest" she said. "Is it about space-ships or submarines?"

"It's about submarines in space" Lincoln replied.

Stella looked even more confused.

"The series takes place in an interstellar water body" Clyde explained. "It can't be maneuvered by ordinary space ships, so they need the Starship Groupers in their space submarines."

Slowly, Stella nodded. "That makes sense... I think."

From his pocket, Rusty pulled out his old-fashioned pocket-watch. "Anyway, the arcade won't open before afternoon. How about we go to that new café first? I've heard it's very popular with the ladies." A big grin on his face he wiggled his eye-brows.

Stella rolled her eyes. "Oh yeah, that sounds like a lot of fun – watching you guys drool over some girls who'll ignore you."

Rusty blushed. "Oops, sorry. Guess I gotta get used to a girl being in our…" Suddenly, he frowned. "Hey, what do you mean they'll ignore us?"

The others laughed. As they continued to talk about what they should do, Stella noticed something looking out under Lincoln's backpack. It was a small note, but although half of it was covered by his backpack, Stella could clearly tell what it was. With a coy smile she walked behind Lincoln. As his guard was down she raised her leg, and gave him a light, but definite kick in the butt.

"Ouch!" Jumping forward Lincoln put his hands on his butt. "What was that for?" he asked, glaring over his shoulder at Stella while rubbing his cheeks.

An innocent look on her face, Stella shrugged. "Sorry, but who am I to deny a 'kick me'-note?"

At first Lincoln didn't know what she meant. As he rubbed his lower back, he eventually felt the note. He ripped it off, making an annoyed grimace as he read it. "Ah, I see. Luan must have snuck that on me this morning."

"I wonder how no one else noticed it so far?" Zach asked.

Lincoln shrugged. "It's Luan we are talking about. I wouldn't be surprised if she set it up so it would only be discovered until after school."

"Maybe it's for spilling some sauerkraut on her clown wig the other day?" Clyde wondered. "You know, when she had this huge gig for a birthday party in the senior center?"

Crumbling the note Lincoln sighed. "You really think she needs a reason to do stuff like that?"

"Who is Luan?" Stella asked. She tried to remember the names of the girls in their class, but since she was new she didn't have all of them memorized. "The girl with the red skirt and purple jacket?"

"That's Mollie" Lincoln said. He tossed the note into a bin on the sidewalk. "Luan's not in our class, she is my sister. She loves to play pranks on everyone."

Clyde pulled Stella a little closer. "A small heads-up: Never get close to Lincoln's house on April Fool's day."

"Yeah" Zach said, a nervous look behind his glasses. "I once just walked by and got hit by a ricochet pie."

"Back to topic" Liam said as they moved on "I'd say we should go to that biker bar and try out their new mechanical rodeo bull. It's not gonna be like the real thing, but for city slickers like you it might just be manageable."

Clyde looked concerned. "I don't think a biker bar is the right place for us. Also, are you sure you should ride a mechanical bull? You just complained how full your stomach is."

Smirking, Liam patted his belly. "Oh don't you worry Clyde, I know what I can handle." He then turned to Lincoln. "Speaking of rodeos, did your sister get those tickets for the country festival?"

The white-haired boy shook his head. "Sorry. Luna tried all her contacts, but it's sold out."

"Aw, Dang it!" Frustrated, Liam punched the air. "My favorite fiddle and washboard bands all are gonna be there!"

A finger on her chin, Stella looked up at the sky. "Excuse me, but was the name of your sister Luna or Luan? Didn't quite catch it."

"Both are right" Lincoln said. "I have a sister called Luna and one called Luan."

"Oh, okay."

Clyde cleared his throat. "How about we go watch a movie?" he suggested. "It's blockbuster season, after all."

"Let's first talk about what qualifies as a blockbuster" Rusty said, glancing at Clyde while squinting his eyes. "Because in my definition, 'Barney: Return of the Hugs and Smiles' is not a blockbuster."

"The critics praised it for great visual effects and the story!" Clyde protested.

Zach scoffed. "I don't think 'appropriate for all ages' is that much of a story praise."

"Besides" Clyde said to Rusty "The last time we watched a 3D-action-movie, you were the one who fainted."

"That meteor came crushing right at me face!" Rusty yelled.

Lincoln sighed. "Well, we'd probably spend more time deciding on a movie then watching one if we went to the cinema..."

"How 'bout we ditch all those technologic do-hickeys and have some good ol'-fashioned fun at the mudhole?" Liam asked. "Just like in the good ol' days."

"I'd rather blast aliens on a mud planet" Zach murmured. "Also, Lincoln's sister Lana will probably have occupied the mud pit already with her friends."

Stella frowned. "Lana? Wasn't it Luna?"

"That's my other sister" Lincoln said.

Stella scratched her had. "Wasn't her name Luan?"

"My other other sister."

Raising an eyebrow Stella looked at the white-haired boy. "Okaaay…" After staring at him for a moment shook her head. "Anyway, if we can't agree on what to do now, maybe we should just meet when the arcade's open?" she suggested.

The boys thought about it for a moment. "Yeah, that may be the best" Rusty said. "That way, I can finish my homework."

Zach cocked his head. "But Mrs. Johnson didn't give us any homework today."

"It's from yesterday." Sighing, Rusty slouched his shoulders. "I forgot to do it, and now I'll have to do twice the work…"

"Well meeting later sounds just about dandy" Liam said. "Gives me time to get some work at the farm done, too."

As Liam talked about work at home Lincoln slapped his forehead. "Oh crud, I completely forgot – I have to babysit Lily!"

"Oh, right" Clyde said "Your dad's having a double-shift at the restaurant and your mom is busy working on her book."

Zach sighed. "I guess Space ship Groupers will have to wait until tomorrow then..."

Liam scratched his chin. "Tis also means if we want to hang out today, we gotta do it now."

"Any more ideas what we could do?" Rusty asked, looking over their group. "Lincoln? Liam? Clyde? Zach? Stella?...Um, Stella? You alright?"

Everybody turned to Stella. Her eyes focused on Lincoln, confusion was plastered all over her face. Eventually, she opened her mouth. "Lily?"

"My youngest sister" Lincoln told her. "Usually Lori or Leni take care of her, but Lori has to drive Lynn to a soccer match and Leni is shopping with Lola for one of her pageants." As Stella's face turned up even more Lincoln looked at her in concern. "Is everything okay, Stella? You look like Clyde when he sees Lori."

One of Stella's eyes twitched, while the other one was wide open. "Lori… Lola… Lena… Lyla… Lulu…" For a moment her brain seemed to be overheating. Eventually, she snapped out of her daze. "Um, Lincoln, how many sisters do you have?" she asked.

Lincoln exchanged a glance with the other boys. "Oh, I… haven't told you?" he asked.

Stella shook her head.

"Well…" Lincoln cleared his throat. "Ten. I have ten sisters."

Her jaw dropped, Stella stared at Lincoln. After a while however, she suddenly giggled. "Wow… And I thought the white hair was the crazy thing about you."

The kids all laughed, Lincoln blushing as he scratched his head. "Yeah… my family is kinda crazy."

"That's why we usually don't hang out at his place" Rusty told Stella. "I mean, Clyde is the only one who can really manage that place."

"I see." Stella tapped her chin. "So, care to give a little run-down on your sisters? Just so I won't be confused when you talk about them."

Lincoln nodded. "Sure. Like I said, I have ten sisters, five older and five younger ones - I'm the middle kid.

"His oldest sister is Lori" Clyde said, his lips curving into a lovestruck smile. "She is an angel, and her beauty is out of this world…"

"He also has a sister who works at the mall, Leni" Zach said. "A bit ditzy, but super-nice – she helped me find clothes my size outside of the little kid's department."

"Then there's Luna, who is totally into rock and roll, Luan, a comedian and prankster, and Lynn" Lincoln counted down the rest of his older sisters. "She is great at sports - though not always a good sport..."

"His sister Lucy likes to hang out with my little brother Rocky" Rusty said. "She's quiet and a bit spooky, but once you get used to her she is kind of cool." He shuddered. "Just… make sure she doesn't leave her fake blood in your fridge."

"Then there's Lana" Liam said "A really down-to-earth gal who loves animals and mechanics, and her twin-sister Lola, who is basically the exact opposite."

"Oh, and his sister Lisa is only four years old" Zach said "But she is so smart, she actually went to our class for a while."

"And then there's Lily, the baby in the family" Lincoln finished.

Stella rubbed her neck. "It's gotta take a while until all that information sinks in."

"That's okay" Lincoln assured her. "And if you're confused again when I talk about my family, feel free to ask."

Rusty leaned towards her. "Honestly, except for Clyde, we haven't fully gotten it either" he whispered.

At a crossroads with a traffic light, the kids stopped. "So getting back to what we should do now" Clyde said as they waited for the pedestrian's light to turn green. "If we can't agree on a spot to hang out in town, how about we go to my place and play some video games?"

Rusty seemed skeptical. "I don't know… your place is great, but it's so clean and shiny, I'm always afraid your dads might get mad if we get dirt on anything."

Zach laughed. "Oh please, as if Clyde's dads ever get mad."

"Yeah" Liam said as the light turned green "His dads are not like your father who grounds you when you put the tiniest speck of dust on one his suits."

The boys all laughed as they crossed the street. Only Stella stayed behind, a puzzled look on her face. "Clyde's… dads?"


End file.
